New year brings hope, promise

Now that 2013 is in our rear view mirror, it's time to look ahead to 2014 and what the rest of this year will bring us.

In the last year in Ohio, we've seen three women freed after a decade in captivity (then, the man who pleaded guilty to the crime committed suicide in prison), widescale changes in the way teachers are evaluated and students tested and the resignation of popular Ohio State president Gordon Gee after embarrassing comments about Roman Catholics and other schools.

In addition, Sen. Rob Portman, once thought to be the favorite to join Mitt Romney on the GOP presidential ticket, announced his support for gay marriage. Gov. John Kasich bucked his party and agreed to expand Medicaid by pushing the issue through the State Controlling Board.

It's been an interesting year.

And so, 2014 looms large on the horizon and, with it, come some very big events.

It's a gubernatorial election year and Kasich will face a stern test from the Democrats. Ed FitzGerald, a former FBI agent and currently the Cuyahoga County chief executive, was expected to be the only serious candidate offered by the Democrats.

But, his first key choice as a candidate - picking a running mate - left doubts about his decision-making. State Sen. Eric Kearney had financial problems connected to the publishing company he and his wife own, not to mention a personal credit card repayment problem that resulted in a lawsuit. Ultimately, Kearney withdrew and the rumblings of other Democrats getting into the race began.

Additionally, we can expect to see aggressive races for Attorney General, Treasurer and Auditor, as well as Congressional and State Legislature seats across the board. We could also see petitions to legalize gay marriage and medical marijuana in the state on the 2014 ballot.

Happy 2014 everyone! We're about to have an interesting year.

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New year brings hope, promise

Now that 2013 is in our rear view mirror, it's time to look ahead to 2014 and what the rest of this year will bring us.